House Committee Recommends Phase-Out of D.C. Voucher Program
This week, the House Appropriations Committee released its report on the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Financial Services and General Government bill, which houses the Washington, D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, the only federally funded education voucher program. The report language requires phasing out the DC voucher program. All current students would be allowed to complete their education under the voucher program, but no new students would be admitted.
The Opportunity Scholarship Program has been under scrutiny for years due to the criticisms that accompany all voucher proposals, namely that federal laws cannot be enforced at private schools, including civil rights laws that protect students with disabilities. Furthermore, there is a lack of evidence that the scholarship program has improved academic achievement.
CEC has been a long-time opponent of vouchers and voucher-like programs and is a proponent of keeping public funds in public education.